User-customizable reminder notifications for soon-to-be-released and newly-available media content

ABSTRACT

Devices and methods are provided for generating reminder notifications pertaining to time-sensitive media content. In various embodiments, the method includes the step or process of establishing whether time-sensitive media content is desirably viewed by an end user of the media receiver. If establishing that time-sensitive media content is desirably viewed by the end user, it is further determined whether a reminder notification should be generated for the time-sensitive media content at a specified time relative to a change in availability of the time-sensitive media content from a media content provider. If further determining that a reminder notification should be generated for the time-sensitive media content, the reminder notification is generated at the specified time; e.g., the media receiver may generate the reminder notification itself or transmit instructions to a user-carried electronic device to generate the notification reminder.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/725,681 filed on Dec. 23, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/988,870, which was filed with the UnitedStates Patent and Trademark Office on May 24, 2018. Each of theseapplications is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following generally relates to media content systems, and, moreparticularly, to devices and methods for generating user-customizablereminder notifications pertaining to time-sensitive(soon-to-be-released, newly-available, and/or soon-to-be-removed) mediacontent.

ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviations appearing relatively infrequently in this document aredefined upon initial usage, while abbreviations appearing morefrequently in this document are defined below.

CDN—Content delivery network;

DVR—Digital video recorder;

EPG—Electronic program guide;

GUI—Graphical user interface;

I/O—Input/output;

OTT—Over-the-top;

STB—Set-top box;

TV—Television; and

VOD—Video-on-demand.

BACKGROUND

Media content, including VOD and TV programming, has traditionally beendelivered to viewers over legacy cable and satellite broadcast systems.More recently, various streaming video platforms have been introduced bymedia content providers and gained widespread commercial adoption; theterm “media content provider,” as appearing herein, encompassing alltypes of media content sources, aggregators, and the like from whichcontent-containing digital or analog signals can be obtained for viewingon user devices. The term “media content providers” thus encompassescable, satellite, and OTT TV providers, as well as entities owning oroperating streaming video platforms. It is also now commonplace for endusers to placeshift media content stored in memory contained in oraccessible to a home media receiver, such as an STB located at the enduser's residence, over a network for viewing on a smartphone, tablet, orother portable media receiver operated by the end user.

Generally, the various options for delivery of media content havegreatly increased user convenience in selecting and viewing differenttypes of media content. Concurrently, the wide variety and number ofsuch media content providers have also rendered it increasinglydifficult for end users to effectively maintain awareness of all mediacontent available for viewing at any particular juncture in time. Thisis particularly true as certain media content items (e.g., movies orepisodic series) are initially availed for viewing by one or more mediacontent providers, but not others. Consequently, when media contentdesirably viewed by an end user initially becomes available via cable,satellite, or OTT TV broadcast, there exists an undesirably highlikelihood that the end user may inadvertently miss the premiere showingof the newly-broadcast media content. Similarly, an end user may beunaware when media content, which is of interest to the end user,initially becomes available for viewing on a particular streaming videoplatform. As a still further possibility, an end user may become awarethat media content is impending removal from a streaming video platformonly following removal of the media content. This is particularlyproblematic as media content providers operating streaming videoplatforms, such as NETFLIX®, tend to introduce a substantial amount ofnew content each month, while removing other content at variousintervals throughout the month.

There thus exists an ongoing demand for devices and methods forenhancing user awareness of time-sensitive (soon-to-be-released,newly-available, and/or soon-to-be-removed) media content, which is ofinterest to end users. Ideally, such devices and methods would provideintuitive and useful tools for generating reminder notificationsadvising end users of changes in the availability of such time-sensitivemedia content and, perhaps, providing related functionalities allowingend users to customize the notifications and/or take other actionsdecreasing the likelihood of an end user missing or becoming unable toview content of interest. Other desirable features and characteristicsof embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from thesubsequent Detailed Description and the appended Claims, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing Background.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Exemplary embodiments will hereinafter be described in conjunction withthe following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote likeelements, and:

FIG. 1 is a schematic of a media transmission system including two mediareceivers (e.g., a home media receiver and a portable media receiver,such as a smartphone) suitable for carrying-out embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for generating user-customizablereminder notifications pertaining to time-sensitive media content, asillustrated in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure; and

FIGS. 3-5 are screenshots of exemplary reminder notifications that maybe generated by a media receiver, such as the STB or portable electronicdevice shown in FIG. 1, when implementing the method of FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of the invention is intended toprovide various examples, but it is not intended to limit the inventionor the application and uses of the invention. The term “exemplary,” asappearing throughout this document, is synonymous with the term“example” and is utilized repeatedly below to emphasize that thefollowing description provides only multiple non-limiting examples ofthe invention and should not be construed to restrict the scope of theinvention, as set-out in the Claims, in any respect.

Devices and methods for selectively generating reminder notificationsfor soon-to-be-released, newly-available, and soon-to-be-removed mediacontent (collectively, “time-sensitive media content”) are provided. Inparticular, the reminder notifications are generated to advise users ofchanges in the availability of high interest media content for viewingfrom one or more media content providers. The term “high interest mediacontent,” as appearing herein, referring to media content determined tobe of interest to and desirably viewed by the end user of a mediareceiver.

A given reminder notification may inform an end user that high interestmedia content will soon become available for viewing from a particularmedia content provider. This may be particularly beneficial when thehigh interest media content is scheduled to premiere as broadcast TVprogramming delivered over a cable, satellite, or OTT TV distributionsystem. Alternatively, a reminder notification may inform an end userthat certain high interest media content has recently been madeavailable for viewing from at least one media content provider; e.g., inthe case of a provider operating a streaming video platform, thereminder notification may alert the user that the high interest contenthas recently been released or made available for viewing on thestreaming video platform. As a still further possibility, remindernotifications may be generated to inform end users that high interestmedia content will soon be removed from a particular streaming videoplatform and, therefore, no longer available from viewing via the videoplatform. In either or both of these latter cases, generation of thenotification reminder may further be dependent upon whether an end usersubscribes to the video streaming platform, as may be determined fromuser data stored in memory contained in or accessible to the mediareceiver. Generally, then, the reminder notifications decrease thelikelihood that the end user will inadvertently fail to view (or record)high interest media content in a timely manner. The overall userexperience may thus be enhanced in managing media content availed acrossvarious platforms and supplied from multiple providers.

When generated, the reminder notifications can assume various forms andcan be delivered to any number and type of consumer devices operated byend users. For example, in certain embodiments, the remindernotifications may be generated as email communications; as text messagestransmitted in short messaging service (SMS) or multimedia messagingservice (MMS) formats; or as push notifications transmitted to aportable electronic device or user-carried media receiver, such as anend user's smartphone, laptop, or tablet. In other instances, thereminder notifications may be presented via a home media receiver, suchas an STB; or via a portable media receiver, such as a smartphone ortablet executing a software application for selecting and viewingstreaming media content, possibly placeshifted media content. Variousaspects of the reminder notifications may be user-customizable, such asthe frequency and format of the notifications, as well as the conditionsunder which the notifications are generated.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide other functionalitiesin addition to the generation of reminder notifications. For example,when high interest media content is presented via satellite, cable, orOTT TV broadcast, an interface element contained in the remindernotifications may allow a user to set a DVR (or other recording devicecontaining computer-readable mass storage) to record the media contentupon initial broadcast. Further, if desired, an additional notificationcan generated when the media content is successfully recorded; and, ininstances in which the recording is captured in a computer-readablestorage medium accessible by a home media receiver (e.g., an STB) havingplaceshifting capabilities, visual reminders or cues may further begenerated on a portable electronic device or user-carried mediareceiver, such as a smartphone or tablet, indicating that thenewly-stored media content is now available for viewing by placeshiftingto the user-carried media receiver. Such a recording interface optionmay also be desirably produced in conjunction with remindernotifications informing end users of media content soon-to-be-removedfrom streaming video platforms. Additional description of suchsupplemental functionalities is provided below. First, however, ageneral description of a media dissemination system including multipleelectronic devices or media receivers suitable for carrying-outembodiments of the present discourse is provided in conjunction withFIG. 1.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a media transmission architecture orsystem 10 suitable for carrying-out embodiments of the presentdisclosure, as depicted in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In the illustrated example, system 10 includes a home mediareceiver 12, a user-carried or portable media receiver 14, and at leastone commercial media streaming service 16. Home media receiver 12 mayassume the form of an STB or a similar electronic device, which receivesmedia content from one or more broadcast sources or media contentproviders 18. For example, as indicated in FIG. 1, broadcastsources/content providers 18 may include a satellite 20, which providesa feed received by a non-illustrated satellite antenna further includedin sources 18 and supplied to home media receiver 12. Additionally oralternatively, broadcast sources 18 may include cable TV delivery means,such as optical fiber or co-axial cable; and/or delivery of OTT TVthrough a data transmission network 22, such as the Internet. In stillfurther embodiments, home media receiver 12 may receive media contenttransmitted over network 22 and provided by, for example, mediastreaming (e.g., VOD) service 16 or another placeshifting device (notshown). Home media receiver 12 may receive, decode, and generate outputsignals for such media content, which may then be presented on a displaydevice 24 (e.g., a home TV set or monitor) for viewing by an end user.

In contrast to home media receiver 12, portable media receiver 14 may beany portable electronic device capable of receiving streaming mediacontent over network 22. In certain embodiments, receivers 12, 14 maycommunicate over network 22, with home media receiver 12 serving as aplaceshifting device providing streaming content to portable mediareceiver 14. In such implementations, home media receiver 12 (e.g., anSTB located in a user's residence) may transmit streaming media contentto portable media receiver 14 (e.g., a smartphone or tablet) for viewingby an end user. Media content may be initially recorded or stored in amemory accessible to home media receiver 12; e.g., a computer-readablestorage area contained in receiver 12 or an external memory coupled toreceiver 12 via a wired or wireless (home network) connection.Alternatively, the pertinent media content may be transmitted to homemedia receiver 12 and then placeshifted to portable media receiver 14 byreceiver 12 as the content is received. When providing such aplaceshifting functionality, home media receiver 12 may further containat least one encoder module 26 and control module 28. Modules 26, 28 canbe implemented utilizing software, hardware, firmware, and combinationsthereof. The encoded media stream generated by receiver 12 willtypically contain both video and audio component streams, which may becombined with packet identification data. Any currently-known orlater-developed packetized format can be employed by receiver 12including, but not limited to, MPEG, QUICKTIME, WINDOWS MEDIA, and/orother formats suitable for streaming transmission over network 22.

The foregoing components can each be implemented utilizing any suitablenumber and combination of known devices including microprocessors,memories, power supplies, storage devices, interface cards, and otherstandardized components. Such components may include or cooperate withany number of software programs or instructions designed to carry-outthe various methods, process tasks, encoding and decoding algorithms,and relevant display functions. Media transmission system 10 may alsoinclude various other conventionally-known components, which areoperably interconnected (e.g., through network 22) and not shown in FIG.1 to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the drawing. Network 22 may encompassany number of digital or other networks enabling communication betweenreceiver 12, receiver 14, and/or media streaming service 16 utilizingcommon protocols and signaling schemes. In this regard, network 22 caninclude one or more open CDNs, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), theInternet, and various other networks implemented in accordance withTCP/IP protocol systems or other conventional protocols. Network 22 mayalso encompass one or more wired or Local Area Networks (LANS), WideArea Networks (WANs), a cellular network, and/or any other public orprivate networks.

As indicated above, portable media receiver 14 can assume the form ofany electronic device suitable for performing the processes andfunctions described herein. A non-exhaustive list of suitable electronicdevices includes smartphones, wearable devices, tablet devices, laptopcomputers, and desktop computers. When engaged in a placeshiftingsession with home media receiver 12, portable media receiver 14 outputsvisual signals for presentation on display device 30. Display device 30can be integrated into portable media receiver 14 as a unitary system orelectronic device. This may be the case when, for example, portablemedia receiver 14 assumes the form of a mobile phone, tablet, laptopcomputer, or similar electronic device having a dedicated displayscreen. Alternatively, display device 30 can assume the form of anindependent device, such as a freestanding monitor or television set,which is connected to portable media receiver 14 via a wired or wirelessconnection. Any such video output signals may be formatted in accordancewith conventionally-known standards, such as S-video, High DefinitionMultimedia Interface (HDMI), Sony/Philips Display Interface Format(SPDIF), DVI (Digital Video Interface), or IEEE 1394 standards, asappropriate.

By way of non-limiting illustration, portable media receiver 14 is shownin FIG. 1 as containing at least one processor 32, an associated memory34, and a number of I/O features 36. I/O features 36 can include variousdifferent types of interfaces, such as a network interface, an interfaceto mass storage, an interface to display device 30, and any number ofuser input interfaces. Portable media receiver 14 may execute a softwareprogram or browser player 38 directing the various hardware features ofportable media receiver 14 to perform the functions described herein.Browser player 38 suitably interfaces with processor 32, memory 34, andI/O features 36 via any conventional operating system 40 to provide suchfunctionalities. Software application can be placeshifting applicationin embodiments in which home media receiver 12 assumes the form of aSTB, DVR, or similar electronic device having placeshiftingcapabilities. In such embodiments, home media receiver 12 will typicallybe located within the residence of the end user, although this notstrictly necessary. In certain realizations, portable media receiver 14may be implemented utilizing special-purpose hardware or software, suchas the SLINGCATCHER-brand products available from SLING MEDIA INC.currently headquartered in Foster City, Calif.

Browser player 38 includes control logic 42 adapted to process userinput, obtain streaming content from one or more content sources, decodereceived content streams, and provide corresponding output signals todisplay device 30. In this regard, control logic 42 may establish a datasharing connection with the remote home media receiver 12 enablingwireless bidirectional communication with control module 28 such that aplaceshifting session can be established and maintained. During aplaceshifting session, home media receiver 12 streams placeshiftedcontent to portable media receiver 14 over network 22. Such streamingcontent can contain any visual or audiovisual programming including, butnot limited to, streaming OTT TV programming and VOD content. Thestreaming content is received by portable media receiver 14 and decodedby decoding module 44, which may be implemented in hardware or softwareexecuting on processor 32. The decoded programming is then provided to apresentation module 46, which generates output signals to display device30 for presentation to the end user operating portable media receiver14. In some embodiments, presentation module 46 may combine decodedprogramming (e.g., programming from multiple streaming channels) tocreate a blended or composite image; e.g., as schematically indicated inFIG. 1, one or more Picture-in-Picture (PiP) images 48 may besuperimposed over a main or primary image generated on a screen ofdisplay device 30.

In operation, control logic 42 of portable media receiver 14 obtainsprogramming in response to end user input or commands received via auser interface, such as a touchscreen or keyboard interface, includedwithin I/O features 36. Control logic 42 may establish a controlconnection with remotely-located home media receiver 12 via network 22enabling the transmission of commands from control logic 42 to controlmodule 28. Accordingly, home media receiver 12 may operate by respondingto commands received from a portable media receiver 14 via network 22.Such commands may include information utilized to initiate aplaceshifting session with home media receiver 12, such as datasupporting mutual authentication of home media receiver 12 and portablemedia receiver 14. In embodiments in which home media receiver 12assumes the form of a consumer placeshifting device, such as an STB orDVR located in an end user's residence, control commands may includeinstructions to remotely operate home media receiver 12 as appropriateto support the current placeshifting session.

Advancing to FIG. 2, there is shown a method 50 for selectivelygenerating reminder notifications pertaining to time-sensitive mediacontent (soon-to-be-released, newly-available, and/or soon-to-be-removedmedia content), as illustrated in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. Method 50 is referred to morefully below as “time-sensitive content notification method 50” and canbe carried-out by home media receiver 12, by portable media receiver 14,or by receivers 12, 14 operating in cooperation. As indicated in FIG. 2,time-sensitive content notification method 50 includes a number of stepsor processes identified as STEPS 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70,72, 74, 76. Each of these process steps are described, in turn, below.The steps shown in FIG. 2 and described below are offered by way ofnon-limiting example only. In alternative embodiments of method 50,additional process steps may be performed, certain steps may be omitted,and/or the illustrated steps may be performed in varying sequences.

After commencing (STEP 52), time-sensitive content notification method50 advances to STEP 54. During STEP 54, the condition or conditions forcreating and issuing time-sensitive media content notifications areinitially defined or established. In embodiments, the criteria governingthe generation of time-sensitive media content notifications may bedefined by user input received via the media receiver (or receivers)conducting method 50 or another electronic device, user profile dataindicative of user interest (likes and dislikes), and other suchinformation. To this end, the media receiver may determine user viewingpreferences and construct a user profile based, at least in part, ontracked or monitored viewing habits in embodiments. Additionally, incertain instances, a machine learning model (e.g., a neural network orother classification model) may be employed to initially construct theend user profile and then further trained utilizing appropriate datainputs. Such data inputs can include, for example, measurements ofsimilarity to other media content or information extracted from socialmedia content providers (e.g., TWITTER®, FACEBOOK®, WHATSAPP®, and thelike) determined to be of interest to an end user.

Further, at STEP 54 of method 50, the media receiver determines whetherreminder notifications should be generated for time-sensitive mediacontent corresponding to the user's established viewing preferences. Inimplementations, media receiver may make this determination based uponuser input data, with the receiver performing method 50 potentiallyprompting or soliciting the end user for entry of such data. Forexample, if a user views a predetermined number of media contentepisodes in a series (e.g., four or more episodes in the current seasonof a program), the client media receiver may generate a user query orprompt inquiring as to whether reminder notifications are desirablygenerated for further episodes of the media content. Such a query mayalso solicit user input regarding the timing of such notificationreminders relative to the availability of the media content for viewingfrom one or more content providers; e.g., user input specifying whetherreminder notifications are desirably generated prior to release of thehigh interest media content, generated when the high interest mediacontent is first broadcast or becomes available for viewing (e.g., viarelease on a streaming video platform), prior to removal of the mediacontent from a streaming video platform, or any combination thereof.

In embodiments, the media receiver (or receivers) conducting method 50may further solicit user input specifying whether reminder notificationshould be generated for time-sensitive content sharing one or morecharacteristics in common with media content previously viewed by theend user, such as a recently-viewed episodic series, movie, or the like.For example, if recently-viewed media content was of a particular genre(e.g., comedy, drama, horror, or suspense), the media receiver mayinquire whether reminder notifications should be created fortime-sensitive media content classified within the same genre (e.g.,comedy, drama, horror, or suspense). Further, in certain realizations ofmethod 50, the media receiver may only inquire as to whether remindernotifications should be generated for time-sensitive content sharingmultiple characteristics or parameters with the recently-concluded mediacontent; e.g., sharing a first characteristic (e.g., the same genre) andsharing a second characteristic (e.g., lead actor or actresses) incommon. In still other embodiments, the media receiver may generate sucha user prompt or inquiry requesting user input, which specifies whetherreminder notifications are desirably created, in response to other typesof user actions. For example, if an end user should assign a particularprogram, movie, or other content item a highly favorable rating (e.g.,five out of five stars) utilizing the media receiver conducing method 50or another device, the media receiver may inquire as to whether the userwishes to create time-sensitive content reminder notifications for arelated program, movie, or other media content item.

The above-described exemplary approach for generating time-sensitivecontent notifications may be particularly useful when, for example, aseason of an episodic series has just concluded. In this case,immediately after conclusion of the final episode in the current seasonof the program, the media receiver may solicit user input instructingwhether reminder notifications should be generated prior to and/orimmediately following release of the next season of the episodic series.For example, if the user viewed the last episode of the series inquestion utilizing home media receiver 12 (FIG. 1), receiver 12 maygenerate this prompt and a user may respond utilizing a remote controlor any other suitable interface for entering data into receiver 12.Similarly, if the user viewed the last episode utilizing portable mediareceiver 14 (FIG. 1), receiver 14 may generate this prompt and an enduser may respond by entry of input utilizing an appropriate interface,such as a touchscreen interface when receiver 14 assumes the form of asmartphone or tablet. A combination of these approaches can also beapplied. For example, in a scenario in which a user recently completedviewing of the final episode in a series utilizing home media receiver12 (FIG. 1), user data inquiries can be generated on portable mediareceiver 14; e.g., in response to instructions received from receiver 12and transmitted to receiver 14 over network 22. User input data can thenbe entered through receiver 14 and relayed to receiver 12 via network22.

Embodiments of time-sensitive content notification method 50beneficially enable a user to select any practical number and type ofcriteria to govern the creation and issuance of time-sensitive contentreminder notifications. As indicated above, in basic implementations, asingle criterion may govern the generation of reminder notifications.For example, user input data may specify that reminder notificationsshould be created for soon-to-be-released, newly-available, orsoon-to-be-removed content in the form of a particular episodic series,a feature film, a particular actor or actress, new programs appearing ona particular television channel, all new sporting events feature aparticular athlete (e.g., all upcoming golf tournaments in which aparticular golfer participates), all new episodic series falling withina particular genre, all new movies falling within a particular genre,and so on. In more complex implementations, multiple factors may beconsidered in determining when to schedule and issue remindernotifications. For example, reminder notification may only be generatedfor sporting events in which two user-specified or flagged teams areparticipating, as may be the case when a particular sports rivalryoccurs. As another example, an end user may input data specifyingwhether reminder notifications should be generated for a particular typeof content (e.g., movies) falling within a particular genre (e.g.,comedy) and featuring a particular actor or actress, as indicated above.As a still further example, an end user interested in home purchase showmay request notifications only for new episodes in which homes wherepurchased in a particular region of the United States, providing suchinformation can be determined from the media receiver; e.g., byextracting such information from an EPG, a program description, oranother source accessible to the receiver, as discussed below. Variousother criteria for governing the generation of reminder notificationsare also possible.

In embodiments, the media receiver (or receivers) conducting method 50usefully compiles information from various sources in ascertaining newprogram notification criteria. For example, the media receiver mayextract rating or review information from a particular streaming serviceor an online platform or website maintaining user rating data. As a morespecific example, and utilizing a 5-star rating system, a user mayprovide input specifying that reminder notifications should be generatedfor soon-to-be-released or newly-available content having a particularminimum star rating; e.g., an average star rating of 4.25 stars or more.If providing reminder notifications for a streaming video media contentprovider, such as NETFLIX® or AMAZON® STREAMING VIDEO, having a starrating system, the media receiver may simply utilizing the existing starrating system for this criteria; e.g., a user may specify thattime-sensitive media content notification should be generated for newprogramming on NETFLIX® of a particular type (e.g., movies) and genre(e.g., comedy) having a specified minimum star rating. In otherinstances, rating information may be extracted from an independent orthird party rating platform, such as ROTTEN TOMATOES®. This latterapproach may be particularly useful when the media receiver desirablyissues reminder notifications for premiere broadcasts of content orprogramming (e.g., via cable, satellite, or OTT TV distribution)matching user interests. For example, in embodiments, a user may specifythat reminder notifications are desirably generated for all new moviesof a particular type (e.g., comedy) satisfying a particular ratingthreshold (e.g., having an 80% or greater approval rating on ROTTENTOMATOES®) prior to the initial broadcast of such movies via broadcastsources 18 (FIG. 1).

The media receiver carrying-out method 50 usefully considers a range ofcontent sources or providers when determining when to generate remindernotifications for time-sensitive media content. Commonly, an end usermay subscribe to multiple streaming services, such as one or more ofNETFLIX®, AMAZON STREAMING VIDEO®, and other VOD services. In certaininstances, the end user may also subscribe to a cable or satellite TVbroadcast service and/or to an OTT TV service, such as an OTT TV serviceoffered by DirectTV®, DISH NETWORK SLING TV®, SONY PLAYSTATION VIEW®,HULU®, YOUTBUE TV®, or the like. By searching multiple such mediacontent providers for time-sensitive media content, the media receiverperforming method 50 can improve user management of such multiple mediacontent providers in an intuitive and easy-to-use manner. In the case ofsoon-to-be-released content, in particular, one or more streaming videoplatforms to which the end user subscribes may be initially identified;e.g., by extracting such information from a user profile. Remindernotifications may then be generated in response to determining thattime-sensitive media content, which is of high interest to an end user,is pending release on a streaming video platform to which the usersubscribes.

In certain instances, method 50 may enable a user to specify whetherreminder notification are desirably generated for content requiring anadditional fee or payment to view, beyond any subscription fee alreadypaid by the user (referred to herein as a “one-time fee”). For example,in the case of AMAZON STREAMING VIDEO®, certain newly-released contentmay be viewed free of cost for subscribers of the AMAZON PRIME® service,while other newly-released media content may require purchase or paymentof a rental fee to view the high interest media content. In this case,embodiments of method 50 may enable a user to select whether remindernotifications should be generated for such content requiring the paymentof an additional fee or one-time payment to view. Thus, in suchembodiments, the media receiver conducting method 50 may determinewhether payment of a one-time fee is required to view the time-sensitivemedia content; if payment of a on-time fee is required, furtherdetermine from user data (e.g., pre-specified user preferences) whetherreminder notifications should be generated for media content requiringthe payments of one-time fees to view; and then generate the remindernotification accordingly.

In the case of live events, the media receiver conducting time-sensitivecontent notification method 50 may further provide selection criteriabased upon the outcome of or other conditions developing during thecourse of the live event. For example, for certain games in theOLYPMICS®, a user may be able to specify during STEP 54 to only providereminders when a particular country wins a medal. In this case, method50 may also involve recording the live event at the media receiver, ifcapable. At the conclusion of the live event, it may be determinedwhether the specified condition or criteria was satisfied; e.g., byretrieval of data via network 22. The newly-recorded content may beerased if it is determined that the criteria is not satisfied.Alternatively, if the criteria was satisfied, the program may beretained and a reminder notification of the newly-available content maybe presented to the user. For example, in an embodiment in which homemedia receiver 12 has recording and streaming or placeshiftingcapabilities, an alert (e.g., in the form of a text message or pushnotification) may be transmitted to portable media receiver 14 (e.g. auser's tablet or smartphone) indicating, for example, “The United Stateshas just won gold in snowboarding at the 2017 Winter Olympics. Thisevent has been recorded and can be accessed for viewing anytime usingyour streaming application.” Analogous criteria can be specified forother live sporting events, such as if a particular team or player winsa particular game or tournament or for other types of live event; e.g.,a political speech may only be retained and a notification generated ifthe speech surpasses a particular NIELSEN® rating, TWITTER® trendthreshold, or the like.

In yet further embodiments of time-sensitive content notification method50, an end user may, independently and without being prompted by themedia receiver (or receivers) conducting method 50, enter user dataspecifying when and if reminder notifications are desirably scheduled,as well as the conditions governing the generation of remindernotifications. To this end, the media receiver performing method 50 mayprovide a GUI allowing an end user to set various conditions pertainingto such reminder notifications. In the case of home media receiver 12,for example, an STB GUI may have a menu hierarchy through which a usermay navigate to a window or page providing such reminder notificationsettings. Similarly, in the case of portable media receiver 14, softwareapplication 38 may provide a menu or page for registering for andadjusting settings pertaining to reminder notifications. As a stillfurther possibility, a webpage or online portal can be provided andaccessed utilizing receivers 12, 14 or another network-connectedelectronic device. In this case, the webpage or portal may enable an enduser to register for reminder notifications, change related settings,define or refine the end user's profile or viewing preferences, andprovide other such information.

In various embodiments, a user can specify various other criteriaregarding the reminder notifications during STEP 54 of method 50. Forexample, a user may also be permitted to choose the time window andfrequency with which such notification are generated. In the case ofpre-release notification, a user may be able to select when the firstnotification is generated (e.g., one week prior to release of thecontent, whether by premiere broadcast or made newly-available forstreaming consumption), whether subsequent notifications should beissued, and the frequency of such notifications, as indicated in theexample of FIG. 3 below. Similarly, in the case of post-releasenotifications, a user may determine the time period over which anyadditional notifications should be generated and the frequency of suchnotifications, as indicated in the example of FIG. 4 below. An end usermay also be permitted to set various other parameters or aspectspertaining to the reminder notifications, such whether suchnotifications are sent via text message (e.g., SMS or MMS), as pushnotifications (e.g., transmitted to portable media receiver 14), asemail communications, as messages presented only when a particularstreaming application or STB GUI interface is executed, and so on.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, method 50 advances to STEP 56 afterestablishing the time-sensitive content notification criteria. At STEP56, the media receiver (or receivers) conducting method 50 (e.g.,receiver 12 and/or receiver 14 shown in FIG. 1) searches informationalsources to ascertain whether an upcoming or newly-available contentsatisfies the established time-sensitive content notification criteria.Such information sources can include an information extracted from anEPG in the case of broadcast media, information extracted from metadataor content descriptions in the case of VOD content, informationextracted from other online sources or services accessible via network22 (e.g., content tables or sources describing scheduled programming),and any other relevant sources. Afterwards, the extracted information iscompiled, analyzed, and utilized to determine whether a remindernotification should be generated for any soon-to-be-released content ofuser interest (STEP 58). If determining that time-sensitive mediacontent reminder notification should be generated, the media receiveradvances to below-described STEPS 60, 64, or 68, as appropriate, andgenerates such a reminder notification. The particular manner in whichthe reminder notification is issued will vary depending upon the mediareceiver performing method 50 and the type of notification desirablygenerated. For example, in realizations in which media receiver 12carries-out method 50, media receiver 12 may utilize network 22 totransmit a push notification, an email, or a similar electronic messageto a user's smartphone or tablet (which, again, may function as mediareceiver 14 in FIG. 1).

FIG. 3 is a screenshot of reminder notification 78, which can begenerated on a smartphone 80 during STEP 60 in an exemplaryimplementation of method 50. Smartphone 80 may correspond touser-carried media receiver 14 shown in FIG. 1, although it should beappreciated that variations of reminder notification 78 can be generatedon other types of user-carried media receivers and home media receivers,such as media receiver 12 shown in FIG. 1. In this example, remindernotification 78 includes a top-level readout or marquee 82 informing anend user of the upcoming premiere broadcast of a media content item,here a sporting event. Top-level readout 82 is usefully presented as apush notification briefly appearing on the display of smartphone 80regardless of which applications are currently being executed thereby.By interacting with top-level readout 82 in some manner, such as bytouching readout 82 and then dragging downwardly toward the bottom ofthe screen (represented by touch symbol 84), a user can summon a secondlevel window 86 presenting additional information and selectable optionspertaining to the reminder notification. In this example, a user caninteract with an interface element or widget 88 (here, a virtual slider)to select whether additional reminders are generated by the mediareceiver, noting that the frequency of the reminders may be selected bytouching the underlined “2” in FIG. 3 and selecting a different numberutilizing a dropdown menu (not shown).

Additional setting options may likewise be presented in conjunction withor as part of exemplary reminder notification 78 shown in FIG. 3. Asillustrated, these options can include whether repeat reminders aredesired after occurrence of the content item or sporting event (e.g., asset by user interaction with a virtual switch or slider 90), whether torecord the program (e.g., set by a virtual slider 92), whether the userwishes to record the program beyond its scheduled conclusion to, forexample, capture any overtime or post-game analysis (e.g., as set by avirtual slider 94); and whether the user wishes to only recordhighlights of the game (e.g., as set by a virtual slider 96). Aninterface element or widget 98 (here, a virtual button) is also providedin conjunction with notification 78 and enables an end user to adjustfurther settings pertaining to the depicted reminder notification orother reminder notifications. Various other options or interfaceelements can be included in reminder notification 78 in furtherembodiments, such as an option to add the upcoming scheduled broadcastto a user's calendar in a manner similar to that discussed below inconjunction with FIG. 5.

Referring once again to FIG. 2, the media receiver executingtime-sensitive content notification method 50 next advances to STEP 62.During the process step, the media receiver (or receivers) conductingmethod 50 determine whether a reminder notification is properlygenerated for any media content recently made available for viewing byone or more content providers, such as media content recently availed onNETFLIX®, HULU®, AMAZON STREAMING VIDEO®, or another VOD media contentprovider for streaming consumption. If this query is answer in thenegative, the media receiver preforming time-sensitive contentnotification method 50 progresses to STEP 66. Alternatively, if thisquery is answered in the positive, the media receiver conducting method50 instead advances to STEP 64 and generates the appropriate remindernotification. Additionally, at STEP 64, the media receiver may performor commence performance of any collateral actions associated with thereminder notification; e.g., the media receiver may flag the mediacontent for recording upon any subsequent broadcast or for recordingprior to removal from a streaming video platform.

FIG. 4 is a screenshot of an exemplary post-release remindernotification 100, which may be generated on a portable electronic device(e.g., smartphone 80) during STEP 64 of method 50. In this case,reminder notification 100 pertains to a movie (here, the “MARTIAN”starring Matt Damon), as indicated by top-level or marquee readout 102.A second level menu 104 is further shown and, once again, includes avirtual slider 106 with which a user can interact to adjust remindersettings. Reasons underlying the generation of the reminder are alsopresented or textually annunciated in this example, with highlightedtext 108 indicating textual fields that can be changed by the user;e.g., by verbal or typed entry. A data field 110 further indicates thestreaming or VOD media content provider from which the content item isavailable. As viewing of the content requires payment of a one-time fee(e.g., a rental or purchase fee), a further widget 112 is included inreminder notification 100 to allow a user to receive an additionalreminder when the identified movie is available for viewing at noadditional cost to the user; e.g., whether available for viewing as partof a subscription package as may if, for example, the movie shouldbecome available on a streaming service, satellite TV, cable TV, or OTTTV package to which the user presently subscribes. Finally, aspreviously the case, a virtual button 98 is further provided to enable auser to change still other settings pertaining to the remindernotifications.

Returning to FIG. 2, and progressing to STEP 66 of time-sensitivecontent notification method 50, the media receiver next determineswhether a reminder notification is desirably generated for any highinterest content soon-to-be-removed from a streaming video platform ofuser interest. During STEP 66, the media receiver (or receivers)conducting method 50 may determine whether high interest media contentis pending removal from a streaming video platform utilizing anysuitable number and type of data sources. In this regard, it should benoted that many streaming and VOD media content providers publish listsof soon-to-be-removed content a certain time (e.g., one month) prior toremoval of the content from their streaming video platforms. Thus, themedia receiver conducting method 50 can be provided with thisinformation and then determine if any of the soon-to-be-removed contentitems correspond with “high interest media content,” as previouslydiscussed. If determining that a reminder notification forsoon-to-be-removed content of high interest to an end user isappropriately generated, media receiver advances to STEP 68 of method 50and generates a corresponding reminder notification (an example of whichis described below in conjunction with FIG. 5). Otherwise, the mediareceiver progresses directly to STEP 70 of time-sensitive contentnotification method 50, as further described below.

FIG. 5 is a screenshot of an exemplary reminder notification 116, whichmay be generated on a portable electronic device (e.g., a smartphone 80)during STEP 68. As was reminder notification 100 described above inconjunction with FIG. 4, reminder notification 116 pertains to a movie(here, the “MARTIAN” starring Matt Damon), as indicated by top-level ormarque readout 118. However, in this particular example, remindernotification 116 is generated to indicate that the high interest mediacontent is pending removal in the near future. Reminder notification 116further contains a readout 122 indicating the particular media contentmedia content provider or media content providers on which theidentified media content item is presently available for streamingconsumption, as well as the time period (here, expressed in days)remaining until the media content item is removed. Once again, interfaceelements or widgets 124, 126 are provided to allow an end user tospecify whether additional reminder notifications should be generatedand whether the identified content item should be recorded.Additionally, in this example, a further interface element or widget 128is provided; and, when selected, adds the removal date of the content toa specified calendar of the end user, such as a calendar maintained onsmartphone 80. In alternative embodiments, a similar option can also beprovided in conjunction with reminder notification 78 described above inconjunction with FIG. 3 for automatically scheduling the release date ofhigh interest media content to a user's calendar.

Referring once again to FIG. 2, and progressing to STEP 70 oftime-sensitive content notification method 50 (FIG. 2), the mediareceiver carrying-out method 50 next determines whether an end user hasmodified or wishes to modify the reminder notification settings oroptions. If determining that the user has not modified the notificationsettings, the media receiver conducting method 50 returns to STEP 56 andthe above-described process steps repeat. Conversely, if determiningthat the user has modified the notification settings, the media receivereffectuates or enters the user modifications (STEP 72). Afterwards, themedia receiver (or receivers) conducting method 50 further determineswhether the end user has deactivated all time-sensitive media contentnotifications (STEP 74). If this is not the case, time-sensitive contentnotification method 50 again returns to STEP 56 and loops. If, instead,all time-sensitive media content notifications have been deactivated,the media receiver progresses to STEP 72 and method 50 terminates untilsuch time as the user again reactivates one or more time-sensitive mediacontent reminder notifications.

The foregoing has thus provided embodiments of devices and methods forgenerating reminder notifications pertaining to time-sensitive mediacontent; that is, reminders for content soon-to-be-released by a mediacontent provider accessible to an end user, recently made available forviewing on a media content provider accessible to the end user, orsoon-to-be-removed from a media content provider accessible to the enduser. Such reminder notifications may be generated at specified timesahead of the change in viewing availability of the high interest mediacontent (e.g., in the case of soon-to-premier and soon-to-be-removedmedia content) and/or at specified following the change in viewingavailability of the media content (e.g., in the case of media contentnewly-availed for streaming consumption via a streaming video platform).Embodiments of the above-described devices and methods allow a highdegree of user customization and can monitor multiple different mediacontent providers. This, in turn, may increase the likelihood that endusers are made aware of and view (or record) high interest media contentin a timely fashion. The overall user experience in selecting,navigating amongst, and viewing media content choices distributed acrossmultiple different content sources or media content providers isenhanced as a result.

Generally, the above-described methods are carried-out utilizing a mediareceiver; the phrase “carried-out utilizing a media receiver” denotingthat a media receiver is utilized to perform the method, whether in partor in whole. In various embodiments, the method includes the steps orprocesses of: establishing whether time-sensitive media content isdesirably viewed by an end user of the media receiver; if establishingthat time-sensitive media content is desirably viewed by the end user,determining whether a reminder notification should be generated for thetime-sensitive media content at a specified time relative to a change inavailability of the time-sensitive media content from a media contentprovider; and if determining that a reminder notification should begenerated for the time-sensitive media content, generating the remindernotification at the specified time.

The following additional statements may further describe the generalembodiment of the method set-forth in the preceding paragraph (asconsidered in the alternative unless otherwise stated):

(i) determining may comprise determining whether the remindernotification should be generated at a specified time before a premierebroadcast of the time-sensitive media content by the media contentprovider;

(ii) when the method includes the step or process of romanette (i), themedia receiver may assume the form of a home media receiver located in aresidence of the end user and the method may further include: (a)providing a user interface element, as part of the remindernotification, for automatically setting a recording of the premierebroadcast of the time-sensitive media content; and (b) scheduling thehome media receiver to record the premiere broadcast of thetime-sensitive media content when the user interface element is selectedor otherwise activated by the end user;

(iii) when the method includes the step or process of romanette (ii),the reminder notification may be generated at a portable or user-carriedelectronic device (e.g., a smartphone or tablet), which is operated bythe end user and which communicates with the home media receiver over anetwork; and the user-carried electronic device may transmitinstructions to the home media receiver over the network to record thepremiere broadcast of the time-sensitive media content when the userinterface element is activated by the end user;

(iv) determining may comprise determining whether the remindernotification should be generated following release of time-sensitivemedia content by the media content provider on a streaming videoplatform;

(v) when the method includes the step or process of romanette (iv), themethod may further include: (a) identifying one or more streaming videoplatforms to which the end user subscribes; and (b) generating thereminder notification in response to determining that the time-sensitivemedia content is pending release on a streaming video platform to whichthe user subscribes;

(vi) when the method includes the step or process of romanette (iv), themethod may further include: (a) determining whether payment of aone-time fee is required to view the time-sensitive media content; (b)if determining that one-time fee is required to view the time-sensitivemedia content, further determining from user data whether remindernotification should be generated for media content requiring payment ofa one-time fee to view; and (c) generating the reminder notification ifthe user data indicates that reminder notifications should be generatedregardless of whether a one-time fee is required to view the mediacontent;

(vii) determining may comprise determining whether the remindernotification should be generated prior to removal of the time-sensitivemedia content from a video streaming platform associated with (e.g.,owned or operated by) the media content provider;

(viii) when the method includes the step or process of romanette (vii),the media receiver may comprise a home media receiver located in aresidence of the end user, and method may further comprise: (a)providing a user interface element, as part of the remindernotification, for automatically scheduling a recording of thetime-sensitive media content; (b) scheduling the home media receiver torecord the time-sensitive media content prior to removal from the videostreaming platform when instructed via user input entered via the userinterface element; and

(ix) when the method includes the step or process of romanette (viii)the reminder notification may be generated at a user-carried electronicdevice, which is operated by the end user and which communicates withthe home media receiver over a network; and the user-carried electronicdevice may transmit instructions to the home media receiver over thenetwork to record the time-sensitive media content prior to removal fromthe video streaming platform when the user interface element isactivated by the end user.

In another implementation, the method includes determining whether highinterest media content is pending removal from a streaming videoplatform to which the end user subscribes. If determining that highinterest media content is pending removal from a streaming videoplatform to which the end user subscribes, it is further determinedwhether a reminder notification should be generated for the highinterest media content at a specified time prior to removal of the highinterest media content from the streaming video platform. If furtherdetermining that a reminder notification should be generated for thehigh interest media content, the reminder notification is then generatedat the specified time; e.g., the media receiver may generate thereminder notification itself or transmit instructions to a user-carriedelectronic device to generate the notification reminder.

In yet further embodiments, a media receiver includes a processor and acomputer-readable storage medium storing a computer-readable code orinstructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the mediareceiver to perform the operations of: establishing whethertime-sensitive media content is desirably viewed by an end user of themedia receiver; if establishing that time-sensitive media content isdesirably viewed by the end user, determining whether a remindernotification should be generated for the time-sensitive media content ata specified time relative to a change in availability of thetime-sensitive media content from a media content provider; and ifdetermining that a reminder notification should be generated for thetime-sensitive media content, generating the reminder notification to begenerated at the specified time. In certain realizations, the mediareceiver, when the computer-readable code is executed by the processor,may also perform the functionalities or combinations of functionalitiesset-forth in romanettes (i)-(ix) appearing in the foregoing paragraphs.

While several exemplary embodiments have been presented in the foregoingdetailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number ofalternate but equivalent variations exist, and the examples presentedherein are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, orconfiguration of the invention in any way. To the contrary, variouschanges may be made in the function and arrangement of the variousfeatures described herein without departing from the scope of the claimsand their legal equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An automated process performed by a computing device to notify a user about one or more media programs of interest to the user that are available from a media content provider, the automated process comprising: receiving, via a graphical user interface, user inputs describing criteria for at least one media program of interest to the user, wherein the user inputs are received prior to the at least one media program of interest being available for viewing by the user from the media content provider; at a specified time relative to a change in availability of the one or more media programs of interest, determining whether a reminder notification should be generated for the one or more media programs of interest, wherein the reminder notification is generated prior to a premier broadcast of the one or more programs of interest; and responsively generating the reminder notification via the graphical user interface.
 2. The automated process of claim 1 further comprising specifying by the user input on the graphic user interface of the criteria set forth whether the reminder notification should be generated for a newly released media content based on whether the newly released content requires payment to the media content provider to view the newly released media content.
 3. The automated process of claim 1, wherein the user's device is connected to a media receiver accessible by a home media receiver located at a user's residence wherein media content stored in memory contained the home media receiver is placeshifted over a network for viewing on the user's device, the user's device comprises a smartphone, a tablet, and portable media receiver operated by the user.
 4. The automated process of claim 3, the method further comprises: providing the graphic user interface on the user's device, as part of the reminder notification, for automatically setting a recording of the premiere broadcast of the one or more media programs; and scheduling remotely the home media receiver via the user's device, to record the premiere broadcast of the one or more media programs when a user interface element is activated by the user.
 5. The automated process of claim 4, wherein the reminder notification is generated at a user's device, which is operated by the user remotely and which communicates with the home media receiver over the network; and wherein the user's device transmits instructions to the home media receiver over the network to record the premiere broadcast of the one or more media programs when the user interface element is activated by the user.
 6. The automated process of claim 1, wherein determining comprises determining whether the reminder notification should be generated following the release of the one or more media programs by the media content provider on a streaming video platform.
 7. The automated process of claim 6, further comprising: identifying one or more streaming video platforms to which a user subscribes; and generating the reminder notification in response to determining that the one or more media programs is pending release on the streaming video platform to which the user subscribes.
 8. The automated process of claim 6, further comprising: determining whether payment of a one-time fee is required to view the one or more media programs; and if determining that the one-time fee is required to view the one or more media programs, generating the notification reminder only if user data indicates that the reminder notification should be generated regardless of whether the one-time fee is required to view the one or more media programs.
 9. The automated process of claim 1, wherein determining comprises determining whether the reminder notification should be generated prior to removal of the one or more media programs from a video streaming platform associated with the media content provider.
 10. The automated process of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises: providing a user interface element, as part of the reminder notification, for automatically scheduling a recording of the one or more media programs; and scheduling remotely a home media receiver via the user's device to record the one or more media programs prior to removal from the video streaming platform when instructed via the user input entered via the user interface element.
 11. The automated process of claim 10, wherein the user's device remotely transmits instructions to the home media receiver over a network to record the one or more media programs prior to removal from the video streaming platform when the user interface element is activated by the user.
 12. A computing device comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured to store computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to perform an automated process that comprises: receiving, via a graphical user interface, user inputs describing criteria for at least one media program of interest to the user, wherein the user inputs are received prior to the at least one media program of interest being available for viewing by the user from the media content provider; at a specified time relative to a change in availability of the one or more media programs of interest, determining whether a reminder notification should be generated for the one or more media programs of interest, wherein the reminder notification is generated prior to a premier broadcast of the one or more programs of interest; and responsively generating the reminder notification via the graphical user interface.
 13. The computing device of claim 12 wherein the automated process further comprises specifying by the user input on the graphic user interface of the criteria set forth whether the reminder notification should be generated for a newly released media content based on whether the newly released content requires payment of a cost amount determined by the media content provider to view the newly released media content
 14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein, the client device enables modification to the settings of: receiving information about whether the reminder notification should be generated at the specified time before a premiere broadcast of the at least one media program by the media content provider via user input, and providing the reminder notification.
 15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the automated process further comprises: displaying a user interface element, as part of the reminder notification, for automatically setting a recording of the premiere broadcast of the at least one media program; and scheduling operation of a home media receiver connected via a network cloud to the client device to record the premiere broadcast of the at least one media program when the user interface element is activated by the user at the client device.
 16. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the automated process further comprises: determining whether the reminder notification should be generated following the release of the one or more media programs by the media content provider on a streaming video platform based in part on the user input at the client device.
 17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the automated process further comprises: identifying one or more streaming video platforms to which the user subscribes; and generating the reminder notification in response to determining that the one or more media programs are pending release on the streaming video platform to which the user subscribes based in part on user input at the client device.
 18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the automated process further comprises: if determining that one-time fee is required to view the time-sensitive media content, then further determining in part from user data generated at the client device, whether reminder notification should be generated for media content requiring payment of the one-time fee to view; and displaying at the client device the reminder notification if the user data indicates that reminder notifications should be generated regardless of whether the one-time fee is required to view the one or more media programs.
 20. The client device of claim 14, wherein the automated process further comprises: determining based in part on user input at the client device whether the reminder notification should be generated prior to removal of the time-sensitive media content from a video streaming platform operated by the media content provider. 